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Jack Ensch

Conversation with Jack Ensch
00:00 / 1:21:07

In 1972, during his fourth tour in Vietnam, Jack Ensch flew off of the USS Midway in an F-4 for a routine mission of stopping enemy forces. When met by enemy forces, Ensch and his co-pilot were hit, forcing Ensch to eject the plane. Upon ejection, Ensch's thumb ripped off and his two elbows dislocated halfway up his upper arms. Waiting on the ground, enemy forces began firing at Ensch, captured him when he landed in the rice paddy, and took him to the Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the infamous Prisoner of War (POW) camp, the Hanoi Hilton. Ensch was a POW for 7 months, 3 of which he was considered Missing in Action (MIA) by the US Government. His wife, Cathy, found out on Christmas day of 1972 that her husband was alive. In his conversation, Ensch recounts his distinguished Naval flying career, his multiple tours in Vietnam, the experience of being a POW, and his current reflections on the war in light of the US leaving Afghanistan.

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